Day, R. A. (2002). Thirty Years of Teaching English: APIBA 1971-2001. A History of the Asociación de Profesores de Inglés de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires: APIBA. ISBN 987-20307-1-7

Day, R. A. (2013). Forty Years of Teaching English: APIBA 1971-2011. A History of the Asociación de Profesores de Inglés de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires: APIBA. ISBN: 978-987-20307-2-8

Preface to the Second Edition

In 2001 APIBA commissioned me to write a history to commemorate their thirtieth anniversary. In 2011, after another decade of determined activity in the face of complicated historical and social circumstances in Argentina, I was asked to do an update of the history for the fortieth anniversary. This update, like the original history, aims similarly to describe APIBA’s work and achievements in the last decade, and provide some critical appraisal of how the association met the challenges it was facing in 2001. Also, as in the original, it is intended as a basis for further discussion about the association’s future role.

As in the first edition, significant space has been allotted to the reflections of former presidents, in this instance, Cristina Banfi, Sandra Revale, Stella Schulte, and Analía Kandel (the incumbent at the time of writing). APIBA presidents, past and present, offer a fascinating insight into the identity of the association, because they are themselves, generally among the most dedicated and long serving members. As there are no earnings, little power, and not much prestige involved in the job of APIBA president, those who take it on generally do so as a duty rather than a reward, based on perception of civic obligation rather than professional ambition. Unsurprisingly, they come from the same core membership that has perpetuated the association through the upheavals of forty years of Argentine history.

Times have changed and this edition comes out on the internet rather than in print. This, in itself, is indicative of the new historical context in which APIBA now finds itself. There has been a digital revolution in the last decade and APIBA has moved on from workshops and newsletters to tweets, blogs, and webinars. It has taken advantage of new technologies to increase ‘its visibility’ in the words of the current president. But innovation in communication media has been part of a broader trend in the last decade that can generally be summed-up as a sustained effort to reach out to the young. This theme is pervasive in the account that follows.